All posts by glennw

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About glennw

I work as a social studies specialist at ESSDACK, an educational service center in Hutchinson, Kansas. Before coming to ESSDACK, I taught middle school US History and higher ed social science classes.

Graphic notes, primary sources, and literacy skills

common core, Glenn Wiebe, graphic organizer, historical thinking, literacy, photos, primary sources

bloody-sunday-2It seems like every social studies teacher I talk to asks about reading and writing strategies. Everyone is freaking about Common Core ELA literacy skills for history / government. And I suppose that’s a good thing. Good social studies instruction should always include reading and writing activities.

But I believe that we sometimes over-think the whole process. Give kids engaging questions, provide some interesting evidence, and step out of the way. An easy way to focus on document analysis and support writing skills is something I call Graphic Notes. I posted this on History Tech several weeks ago but I like it so much, I decided to post here as well!)

A Graphic Note is a lot like a Thought Bubble but takes it a bit further. So you can use it as a hook activity or even as a type of assessment.

1. Start by  Continue reading Graphic notes, primary sources, and literacy skills →

Literacy strategies and book sites

books, common core, Glenn Wiebe, literacy, reading, strategies, writing, , ,

Feeling a bit uneasy about how to respond to the Common Core Literacy Standards for History / Government? Struggling with what that looks like? Need a few ideas and suggestions for integrating reading and writing into your social studies instruction?

Here ya go! Continue reading Literacy strategies and book sites →

10 things you can do this week that will make you a better social studies teacher

best practice, Glenn Wiebe, professional development,

Best PracticeOver the last few months, I’ve been working with a variety of different teacher groups in a variety of different places. But all of the conversations have somehow shifted back to the same basic compelling question:

What does an effective teacher look like?

It’s a great question to ask. We’ve always paid lip service to professional development and learning but it seems as if only recently has the question been taken seriously. The Common Core literacy standards for history and the newly revised Kansas history/government standards are demanding more from our kids – and from us.

So I started thinking about things we can do to get better as social studies teachers. Not stuff organized by our administrators. Informal sorts of things that can make us more effective. I came up with ten. There’s gotta be more.

What would you add? Subtract from the list? Continue reading 10 things you can do this week that will make you a better social studies teacher →

5 Easy Back to School Ideas for Social Studies Teachers

Glenn Wiebe, historical thinking, strategies, ,

I know that some of you are already on the ground with kids, doing point of the spear stuff. But for many, school starts this week or next. And you may already have your entire week planned out, ready to go.

But if you’re still struggling with what to do or maybe just looking for a few fresh ideas, here’s five easy activities that you can use right away without a lot of prep time. Continue reading 5 Easy Back to School Ideas for Social Studies Teachers →

Primary source lessons aligned to the Common Core

common core, Glenn Wiebe, historical thinking, lesson plans, primary sources, standards, , , ,

There’s an elephant in the room. We all know it. Somebody needs to say something. So . . . here goes.

School starts soon. There. I said it.

For a lot of you, you’re just a few weeks away and excited about getting back in the classroom again. You’ve had a few months to relax, read, research, to re-charge a bit. And now with school start dates just around the corner, you’re looking for handy resources.

How about some sweet primary source lesson plans aligned to the Common Core? Well . . . the National Archives has got you covered.

Seriously. If you haven’t made it over to the National Archives Education page, you are missing out. Lesson plans. Professional development stuff. Handy graphic organizers. It’s one of those sites that is non-negotiable for social studies people. If you’re not taking advantage of all of that goodness, you’re not as good a teacher as you could be. It’s just that simple.

But NARA has lots of other goodies out there.

DocsTeach is one of the those. Continue reading Primary source lessons aligned to the Common Core →